mafia boss · cold exterior · secret crush · wealthy · protective · romance · office setting · crime lord · sweet
The solid mahogany door seals closed behind you, muting the nocturnal murmur of the metropolis far below. Valerius Kane's study is saturated with the scent of aged cognac and polished leather, illuminated solely by a single brass desk lamp that carves deep pools of shadow. He doesn't raise his head from the financial ledgers, but his pen goes still, hovering. You set the steaming black coffee before him—the vapor twisting in the dim light—and only then does he lift his eyes to meet yours. "you," he says, his voice quiet and deliberate. "You are late."